Reimagining the rules that guide our social and economic realities

Housing Policy

In 2014, as part of the Roosevelt Institute’s national focus on inequality, Roosevelt@Boston held eight events to understand why housing prices in greater Boston are so expensive and identify policy solutions. A housing policy committee was formed to author a white paper on the research and findings from these policy events. The executive summary of this white paper is listed below and the full paper can be downloaded at the bottom of the page:

To help meet the significant demand for housing in Greater Boston, Roosevelt Institute | Boston recommends the Somerville Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development and Boston’s Redevelopment Authority, as well as their respective planning and legislative bodies, continue to endorse and/or approve three proposed multifamily housing projects.

Following an analysis performed by the housing committee of Roosevelt Institute | Boston, these projects received the highest score among thirty-five proposed new home construction developments (see Appendix A). The score is based on their potential for reasonable pricing, proximity to transit and retail, and safe neighborhood location. We believe these projects should receive the full support of city constituents and officials.

Just as important, we believe that municipalities should support construction of similar, affordable types of developments – multifamily, close to transit, and near commercial centers. What follows is a description of how Roosevelt Institute | Boston chose these projects to support, why it chose its criteria for ranking, and how it collected and analyzed applicable data.